Season

[Seth]

Year 1
Summer
Day 15
10:00 am

Domovoi walked through the Flourite Acre fields, taking in all the sights and smells of the fields. As he did, he realized that his stubborness had gotten out of hand when he had refused directions from Ms. Flourite. He had no reason to have gone through all that trouble if he had swallowed his pride. Once more his emotions had bested him and he was forced to pay the price. Domovoi had barely pushed this thought aside when he realized he was a mere three meters away from the residence of his business partner. So he began to make his way to the door, knowing that he was at least close to on time. Domovoi had been so deep in thought he had ignored the beauty and variety of the Laurel's garden. Fool, it will not help the business if you are simple-minded enough to call Ms. Flourite by her first name. Familiarity is what i've always tried to avoid! He thought to himself as he reached the door. He knocked once, loud enough to be heard but not so loud it would frighten the Pomme-pommes. Domovoi mentally wiped his smile off of his face, then waited for the response.

[Chamomile]

A usual morning for Laurel Elizabeth Fluorite started by brewing a fresh cup of green tea to wake her up, and then retreating to her study for most of the morning. This morning was much the same, as she awoke with the sun and the birds, but not her monster companions. The two Pomme-Pomme liked to sleep in, so Laurel didn't bother them as they were curled up in light blankets on the floor of her bedroom.

Rising with a light yawn, she slid out of bed, stepping on the wooden floor with her bare feet, and moving quickly to the kitchen. Laurel was a morning person by nature, so she had no trouble waking to see the new day. She hummed to herself as she plucked some leaves off of her green grass and placed them in a tea pot for her morning tea. It wasn't the best quality Laurel had ever had, but it was all she could to for such a simple ingredient. Still, the light green tea did its work, though it would be classified more as an herbal tea with a green tint, and Laurel was soon awake enough to dress and head to the study for the morning. She had work to do preparing fire crystals for her flares.

By ten, after being in her study with her herbs and books for a couple hours, Laurel heard a knock on her door. She had been expecting company today. Smirking to herself, she rose and moved to the front door, careful to remove her reading glasses first. Her eye twitched slightly at the thought of inviting a human into her house, but the benefits would make up for it in time. Pulling open the door, she saw none other than Domovoi Vane, as dark as ever, but not dark enough to catch the woman off guard.

"Mr. Vane," she began, bowing her head slightly in greeting. "How good of you to arrive on time. Please come in." Laurel then opened the door further, and motioned her hand towards the sitting room at the end of the hall. Even if this was a business meeting, she would never let the man into her study. It was too small for two anyways.

[[Cooking +1]]

[Seth]

Domovoi bowed his head to Ms. Flourite in return and walked past her towards the sitting room. Of course he assumed it was the sitting room, but that's what it looked like. Domovoi liked this house, it was very well built, but by whom he had no idea. He passed through the entrance to what he assumed was the sitting room and stood and waited to be given permission to be seated, he was after all the guest and should abide by the house rules, even though he wasn't sure as to what they were. As he waited he took in the surroundings. Domovoi found himself fixing his gaze on Laurel as he stood, then he realized that he might look strange to Ms. Flourite with his gaze fixed on her. Then he stopped himself, wondering what was going on with him. Domovoi had passed the hormonic stage, and yet he still was fixated with Laurel Flourite, and he had no idea as to why. "May I sit now? I am not sure of the standards I need to abide to. I am not accustomed to being in others houses." Domovoi said matter-of-factly. He then scolded himself for being so personal. There was always the chance that they could become enemies, and then he might have given useful information away. While Domovoi stirred inwardly, he stood still and smiled slightly, looking into Ms. Flourites eyes.

[Chamomile]

Following behind Domovoi Vane as he made his way to the Fluorite sitting room, Laurel kept careful eyes on him. She didn't think he would try to do anything to her home, but she still didn't trust the man. Besides, having a human in her house was terrible enough as it was.

The room was slightly large for a one person house, but didn't seem too out of the ordinary. The walls were painted deep red, and accented nicely with the white cushions of the two wooden chairs. The chairs, like the long table that stood between them, were made of a dark wood, and finished with a thin glaze, leaving them shining in the early morning light that seeped through the large glass windows.

At Domovoi's question, Laurel was tempted to say no, but against her gut reaction, she nodded and motioned her hand towards one of the chairs in the room. Soon though, Laurel noticed that the man was staring at her, and caught his dark eyes for a moment. Unnerved by this, Laurel swallowed a scowl, and turned her gaze away, trying to not make it seem obvious.

"Would you care for some tea Mr. Vane?" She asked, trying to be as kind a hostess as she could. It was a difficult feat for the elf woman. She wasn't used to visitors at all, let alone human men.

[Seth]

Domovoi returned his gaze to the room, which was painted a dark red, which was the exact opposite color of his house. He looked back at Ms. Flourite when he heard her question. "Yes, I would very much appreciate a drink." Domovoi said with a slight nod. He then lightly sat down in one of the beautifully crafted wooden chairs. Today would be a productive day, if all went smoothly. While he waited for his drink, Domovoi's emotions were raging within him. He couldn't push aside his pointless fear of disapproval. He hadn't felt this fear in so long, he had very small immunity to it. So instead of becoming enslaved by emotions, he had chosen the high road and forced logic to rule his thoughts, yet still he was plagued by these outbursts of fear. So Domovoi began to count multiples of two in his head. By the time he counted to ten thousand, he had almost completely reestablished control. By the time Ms. Flourite returned, he had regained his cool composure.

[Chamomile]

Well at least he was polite when accepting Laurel's offer. With a slight nod, Laurel excused herself, leaving Domovoi Vane alone in the Fluorite Household's sitting room. The kitchen was nearby, so if he accidentally started a fire or broke something, Laurel would know.

Even if she had only been expecting Domovoi's "company" for a mere day, Laurel made sure to prepare leaves for her best tea. Setting a kettle filled with fresh water on the stove top, Laurel began to heat it up. Then, moving to her cabinets, she pulled out a small tray and placed that on the counter. Her porcelain teapot and cups were already placed on the counter from that morning. Taking a few pinches of tea leaves consisting of specially prepared and dried green grass, black grass, and moondrop buds, Laurel sprinkled them into the teapot and waited for the water in the kettle to boil. Before the tea kettle was allowed to whistle obnoxiously, Laurel already turned off the heat, and was pouring water into the teapot. With a smile, the elf woman took the tray, and brought it into the sitting room, but not before placing a small plate of tea cookies between the two porcelain cups.

With one brisk movement, Laurel placed the tray on the table, and poured her specialty Moonlight Bud tea into a cup for Mr. Vane. Placing it on a saucer and sliding it to his side of the table, she said, "Here you are." There was a tinge of happiness to Laurel's voice, but not because of the man before her. No, she simply took pleasure in certain things. Tea was one of them. Taking some time to pour a cup for herself, Laurel sat back in her chair and began to delicately sip her tea. Brewed to perfection as always.

"Now, where were we?" She asked, knowing full well they had not begun a conversation, but not wanting to actually start it herself. She was the host, so the guest should provide the conversation.

[Seth]

As soon as Domovoi heard Ms. Flourite enter the room again, he made sure to put on a slight, kind smile. He watched as the tea was poured into a cup and put in front of him. He hunched slightly to pick up the tea, ensuring that none of it spilled. As he brought the tea to his lips, he thought of what business the two should discuss. It would be best if they agreed on the placement of their apothecary. So once he returned the cup to the saucer, Domovoi looked straight into Laurels eyes, and began to speak. "I believe we hadn't begun quite yet, so allow me to begin. I have spent a small amount of time scouting the areas around market road. I believe that there is a couple of lots next to the cafe that would be quite suitable and efficient. Your thoughts?" Domovoi said, speaking and enunciating clearly, but not speaking overly loud.

[Chamomile]

As Domovoi Vane explained his plan, Laurel tried her best to keep eye contact. It was difficult, and her sharp blue eyes kept wavering away from his. It made Laurel feel very uncomfortable. She'd rather keep staring at her tea, but it was only polite. When he finished, however, she took a moment to look down, and then take a sip of her tea. Closing her eyes Laurel took on a pensive look, considering what had been said.

"Yes I think that would be an ideal spot." The information about a couple lots intrigued Laurel though. It was as if fate was pushing her in the direction of her dream. But, the apothecary was to come first; the village as a whole before herself. "I could look over it later in the week as well, but I trust your judgement, Mr. Vane." Again, Laurel took a sip of tea, and then placed the cup back on its saucer. There was one aspect of their plan off the list. What was next...?

"Will our little apothecary need a name?" The elf woman asked, a taunting grin on her face. She was half joking, but half curious as well. A store, even something as simple as an apothecary, brought in more customers if it had an interesting name. Then it was the inventory that kept them coming back. "And then there's working hours, inventory..." There was a lot to discuss, but at this point, everything seemed to be coming together. So, in a small celebration, Laurel poured herself a second cup of tea. Remembering her guest, she forced out a, "Would you like some more?" motioning the teapot towards Domovoi's cup.

[Seth]

As Domovoi listened to the Elven woman speak, he thought there was a bit of uncomfortable politeness in her posture. Then he realized what it was, he was giving her no chance to look around and it was unnatural. So he looked at the tea pot, which was masterfully crafted, and smiled ever so slightly when Laurel Flourite said she trusted his judgement. Then Domovoi mentally slapped himself for not coming up with a name beforehand, it was a careless move. But as she mentioned it, along with working hours and inventory, it got the gears in his head turning. He looked up and smiled softly, shaking his head at the idea of more tea. "I have yet to finish my first cup. And on the topic of a name, I believe that you have a better sense of what would draw in more customers. As for working hours, we could work from ten 'o clock in the morning to...perhaps ten in the evening? I believe that should be sufficient if we have many customers. This is of course open for debate. Along the topic of inventory, we would have to keep an eye out for merchants with reasonable deals on herbs from other locations, and spend most of the day we are closed gathering more local herbs and grasses for a cheaper price." Domovoi said with the slight smile growing more prominent. He then retrieved his cup and took a sip.

[Chamomile]

Seeing her offer denied, Laurel's eyes narrowed more from misjudgement than anger, and placed the teapot back on the tray. She then proceeded to calm herself with another sip of her own tea. The light flavor of fresh green tea brought her spirits up in a way few things could. Though, she would kill for a little honey to go along with it...

"Ahh..." She started, half speechless from the compliment. Though she figured it could be an empty one, as many of Laurel's were. With a slight smile to keep up appearances, she continued. "I will think of a name later tonight then." The woman thought better when she retreated to her study. It was always quiet there, and Laurel made sure to keep a small bowl of cloves around to clear her senses and her mind.

"For hours, that sounds reasonable as well." Laurel doubted anyone would have an emergency earlier than ten in the morning. And if they did, she would more than likely be there earlier than opening hours, to make sure everything was perfect. Laurel took her job very seriously after all. "And as for herbs, I do agree. It's difficult enough to gather them when I have spare time, so if we could obtain foreign ones from merchants, it would be to our benefit." Of course, unknown to Domovoi, Laurel used her grasses for more than just tonics and medicines. She wasn't about to admit that, however.

[Seth]

As he drank from the cup, Domovoi wondered what topic should be next, while at the same time he thought of whether or not his contact in the north would ship some rare herbs instead of weapons. It was probable that for a decent price he could acquire them. Domovoi set his empty tea cup down on the saucer and looked straight at Laurel with a soft stare, all the while mixed feelings of fear and wonder roiled within him once again. "Hmm, yes, it would be to our benefit to have these herbs around our shop in case of a disease from outside our small village were to infect one of the villagers. I have a very reliable contact north of the mountain range which can likely send us word of a trader who deals in our type of product, maybe even buy it for us and send it over. I have great faith in the elf, for he can acquire much that others cannot." Domovoi said with finality, shifting his posture to be more upright while he talked.

[Chamomile]

Foreign disease was the least of Laurel's worries at the time. Very few merchants came into the small village as it was, but in the future it might become a slight problem. Laurel's job was to try to help this village blossom. Trade and commerce would be just a piece of that, and there was the risk of contamination and infection from visitors. Hopefully, it wouldn't be anything she couldn't handle.

As Domovoi looked at her and spoke again, Laurel tried her best to pay attention like before. Unconsciously a few times she brushed her hand through her golden locks, and wondered about the look he was giving her. Resisting the urge to raise an eyebrow at his gaze, which wasn't quite as hostile as she was used to, Laurel kept hold of her tea cup, taking the chance to look away to drink as often as she could.

Of course, hearing that Domovoi's "reliable contact" was an elf did keep Laurel's attention. Leaning back in her chair comfortably, Laurel smirked at the thought. Even if the man was an elf, if he was associated with a human like Mr. Vane, it was very likely that the elf was a shady figure. Still, dealing in herbs was more reasonable than black market goods.

"Then I'll entrust that duty to you as well." Laurel said with a nod. Finding foreign contacts was the last thing Laurel ever planned to do. It was hard enough to make friends, let alone keep them. The only other place she lived was the Norad Frontier, and most of those villagers were humans. Either way, she hated having to put this much trust in Domovoi. The human didn't deserve her trust, and sure as hell didn't earn it. If anything, the trust was forcibly given.

[Seth]

Momentarily there was a sense of pride that Laurel had trusted Domovoi to deal with foriegn contacts, but logic quashed that pride with sensability. As this happened, his soft gaze hardened to a diamond sharp stare that moved from her to the walls. He looked around the room and then returned his gaze to Ms. Flourite, smile fading fast. Domovoi set the teacup down softly and stood slowly, his gaze never leaving Ms. Flourites face. "I believe this ends our business for the day. If there is any other necessities to be looked over, you may visit me at my residence. Thank you for the wonderful tea." Domovoi said with his normal steel-cold tone. He awaited Ms. Flourite to show him out which was, to him, expected of the host.

[Chamomile]

Well there went the curious stare Mr. Vane had! It was for the best though, as Laurel actually enjoyed the human man when he was in his typical temperment. Well, she enjoyed dealing with him like that, because then she didn't mind being just as snippy back.

"Yes I believe so." The elf woman replied with a narrow gaze. "And of course, though I doubt there will be any immediate emergency." Even if there was an emergency, Laurel detested visiting the man again. At least he complimented her tea, even if his tone was dull as can be.

Standing up herself, and brushing hair off her shoulders, Laurel led the way back to the front door. It was her duty as a hostess to see her guest out, especially if she didn't want him there much longer, tainting her home with his presence. Opening the door Laurel motioned her hand towards it, keeping a half smile on her face.

"Always a pleasure." Laurel had much difficulty masking the displeasure in her voice, and the comment ended up being more venomous than she intended.

[Seth]

Domovoi's smile was hard and cold as steel, matching the displeasure Miss Flourite obviously felt. So, he turned from her at the door and took one step outside before he spoke. "Don't patronize me, this is pure business." And with a nod, Domovoi set off towards his house on Kruidnagel road. Once he was out of sight from Laurels house, he picked up a slight jog and began to think of what to send for his contact to the north. He always required a form of compensation to do business. After ten minutes of jogging he reached his house and slowed to a stop. Once inside, Domovoi locked the door and headed for bed. His sword would be there and he could go hunting in the caverns.